Formative Years (2352-2370):
Thyvan was born on Hochlor IV, an M Class Federation planet colonized by the Caitian people. His mother, Mearah; a skilled chef, raised him alone as his father, a Kzinti soldier named Lyvar-Warrior, was killed in battle following his conception. His mother found it difficult to speak of his father and Thyvan, despite his curiosity, respected her wishes and did not pry. All his mother could tell him, before being overcome with emotion, was that his father died trying to protect that which he held held most dear.

Despite being predominantly Caitian, as he was born on a Caitian world and it was registered as his primary parentage in his records with the UFP, Thyvan had clearly inherited a large amount of his appearance from his father. He was taller and heavier than Caitians of his age. This was not a factor of being overweight but a factor of Kzinti being generally larger and having more muscle mass. To draw attention to this further the pigmentation of his father and mother had merged to give him a variably coloured cloak that could be likened to that of a tiger. Being a child of a mixed parentage was not easy, not because he was bullied or victimized, but because deep within himself he knew something was different about him. Something about himself, something he couldn't define, felt...out of place.

Aside from his internal unease, Thyvan led a comparatively normal life for a young Caitian, focusing on his studies and developing a taste for musical pursuits in his spare time. Family was important to him and with only his mother to support him and help advance his schooling he felt he should put something back to restore the balance. When he was old enough he began helping in the cantina where his mother was the senior chef.

She was, in the eyes of not just Thyvan but also the public at large, considered to be responsible for some of the best food in the city. Nothing was replicated, everything was real and natural and blended together with care and attention to detail. All the pieces coming together to make something much more than individual parts could ever be and this was a value she had tried to instill in Thyvan from a very early age. He began by simply helping as a kitchen porter, his strength a definite advantage in this particular task but soon he had developed an interest in not only cooking but also in creating new dishes himself. To his surprise, and his mothers delight, he had inherited her pallet.

As time wore on and Thyvan progressed through his schooling his mother began to become ill. She remained heavily involved in the planning and running of the kitchen but Thyvan, now in his late teens, would take the role of executive chef when he returned from his studies in order to spare her physical exertion. During this time his culinary skills continued to improve and he also learnt a lot about his abilities to co-ordinate and manage a tightly knit group of individuals in a high energy environment. While struggling at first he persevered to make his mother proud and soon found the right balance of aggression and empathy to get the best from his staff.

It was in early 2370 that his mother finally succumbed to her illness. Thyvan was understandably devastated, the strongest person he had ever known had been taken from him. It was not until later, however, that he would learn how strong his mother truly was.

Whilst Sorting out her personal effects and setting his mothers estate in order Thyvan was given a holo-recording by his mothers arbiter. The man claimed that he was to watch it alone in the event of her death. Thyvan took it and what he saw was something that would change his world. The message was his mother, recorded before the illness had taken hold of her and she seemed so full of life. She sat down with him in the holographic recreation of the kitchen they worked in and she explained.

His father had, indeed, been Lyvar-Warrior but he had not been a brave soldier...he had been a slave trader. His mother had worked on a small Caitian freighter as the galley chef for the crew of twenty. The slavers out numbered them and they were either killed or overpowered and captured. If such a thing were possible Mearah was one of the lucky survivours. She was taken and was due to be sold on but Lyvar, having not obtained a full name and unable to breed under Kzinti tradition took her by force. She explained that he died trying to save his own life when a Federation Border Patrol team assaulted the vessel (Thyvan now understanding what his mother meant my 'protecting that which he held most dear'). After the patrol brought her to Hochlor IV she found she was pregnant from the assault by Lyvar but resolved to keep the child in the hope that something good would come out of it. She said she had not been disappointed.

She had not told him this because she did not want him to be clouded by his past when his future was his to make his own. She told him she was proud of him and that he, like so many things they had created together, had become more than his combined parts. She vowed she would be with him wherever he went and in what ever he did. The recording ended and Thyvan realized that these revelations finally explained the unease he had felt through his childhood.

His initial feelings were of anger and sorrow but, as these subsided over time, he came to grasp how strong his own mother had been, taking this unbearable burden onto herself in order to protect those in her care. Thyvan made the decision at that momment that he would do the same, not only to follow the example he know knew he had grown up with his whole life, but also to become the strong soldier his father never was and protect those who needed it. He filed his application to Starfleet Academy three days later.

Academy Years (2370-2374):
The academy was like nothing he had ever seen. Neo-Kelia was a busy trade port but nothing like the bustle of San Francisco. He was, he had to be honest, greatly looking forward to this fresh challenge and new beginning in his life. He was assigned a dorm with other tactical cadets and, given his background, he made it his personal mission to ensure they ate at least two non-replicated meals a week.

Thyvan was quite surprised to find that being involved in tactical planning and implementation of those plans was not dissimilar to his experience in the kitchen back on Hochlor IV. Making sure you had enough materials to do the job, blending the elements together with the correct timings to bring to plan together to make a successful mission.

His extracurricular activities at the academy centered around the more physical in nature. He was know in several of the academy's martial arts groups as well as being an active swimmer and rock climber. He did find, however, that he had to make certain alterations to various techniques as digitigrade legs were not a common conception when these various activities were devised. Still he made the best of things as much as he could. He also joined a cadet based music group, acting as a pianist and singer.

By his third year at the academy he had become a common sight around the campus. There were other Caitians and one or two Kzinti cadets and intructors but his unique coat singled him out. He had also garnered a reputation among some cadets as a strong, protective individual after standing up to two drunken Klingon recruits in one of the campus bars. Fortunately for Thyvan security personnel, called by the staff, had arrived to witness one of the Klingon's draw a knife and were satisfied that 'pouncing' on the Klingon in question and pinning him to the floor was well within the realms of acceptable self-defence.

He graduated in 2374 with a huge feeling of pride and a degree in Strategic Logistics & Tactial Analysis and prepared for his first posting.

Into The Fleet (2374-Pres.):
The tradition of the fleet would have been to ease new officers into their roles by posting them to a ship where they could learn apply there generally theoretical knowledge in an active environment. This, however, was not the case for Thyvan and the class of '74. The Federation was now at war with the Dominion and, as a result of casualties at the front he was assigned as a tactical officer aboard the USS Tian An Men. This posting led to him being thrown straight into action at what would become the First Battle of Chin'toka.

Following this victory of the UFP alliance forces at Chin'toka, Thyvan was reassigned to the USS Destiny as it departed for an assault to retake the Kalandra sector. Thyvan remained a serving officer on the Destiny throughout the recapture of the sector and until the end of the Dominion war. During the time following the war he was able to reflect on what he had learnt in the last two years, few recruits had be afforded the opertunity to experience so much straight from the academy and he wanted to ensure he learnt from it.

Following the end of the war, and the subsequent stablization of previously contested regions, the Destiny returned to Earth and a large proportion of the crew were reassigned. Thyvan gained a position on the USS Trial, a post he was more than ahppy to accept as his time on the Tian An Men had given him a great affection for the Miranda-class vessels.

His appointment to the USS Trial was, by comparison to his previous two postings, extremely uneventful. The vessel, like so many others, had seen action against the Dominion and it felt that the ship itself was being given a respite from front line duties. This was the first experience Thyvan had really had of space exploration and, when on away missions, he was able to freely indulge in sampling and experimenting with vaious foodstuffs and ingredients from colonies they visited. While the ship was occasionally called upon to support or arbitrate in local planetary squabbles there was little need for full combat readiness and this allowed him to train and plan hypothetical situtaions with his fellow officers, in particular their CTO, a female Trill named Lt. Cmdr. Lorima Siv.

It was this theoretical planning within the tactical unit of the ship that won them a citation for tactical excellece in a series of wargames against representative ships from Romulus, Trill, Andoria, Beatazed and Bajor. Thyvan, for his part and his dedicated service to the fleet, was promoted to the rank of Junior Lieutenant.

2383 saw Thyvan assigned to Starbase G-6 near Betazed. His time here was spent monitoring space traffic, aiding in the co-ordination of ship movement thought the region and ensuring that adequate tactical provisions were made. Given recent conflicts with the Breen and T'Kith'Kin and the fact that Beatazed had fallen so rapidly to the Dominion this was a role that he took extremely seriously.

By 2385 the on-going conflict with Triad forces generally, and Hydran forces in particular, had severely stretched Starfleet resources and Thyvan, being more experienced than a fress academy graduate, found himself reassigned once more. This time being taken from Starbase G-6 back to the front lines aboard the USS Galaxy...

Due to his Caitian/Kzinti heritage, Thyvan has a mixture of psychological and physiological traits and features of both races. While generally Kzinti in appearance there are elements of Caitian in him. Most notably that he has a fur covered tail, a Despite his fathers clear dominance in terms of his physical appearance, he has not inherited his father’s telepathic abilities.

Also, while Caitian’s are generally perceived as a peaceful and contemplative race and Kzinti are known for their aggressive manner and approach. This combination has, in Thyvan, created what might be called ‘Cold Fury’. While Thyvan moderates his tone and keeps his temper in check, considering his actions before carrying them out, he does resonate an 'air' about him that suggests a dark destructive power lies buried deep within him. Several members of the crew aboard the USS Trial noted that, during combat, Thyvan would become noticably more aggressive and 'war-like' leading to one SCPO., a Frenchman named Christophe Gilain, refering to him as Le Tigre Terrible.

Generally Thyvan is loyal and honourable. He is also fiercy protective of those in his care, defending them showing no quarter or leinency and he is not above using any and all tricks and tactics at his disposal to do so.

Despite his size and percived potential wrath Thyvan is not aggressive by nature. He is very open about himself and there is very little off-limits. One subject that is, however, is his parentage. He is also incredibly particular when it comes to cooking food and if he serves a dish he considers it perfect; without need for alteration by anyone other than him.

Despite this, however, he has never particulaly been sucessful in relationships. Not because he is unfriendly or akward, but becuase people view him as a friendly brotherly figure rather than as a potential lover.

Thyvan, as a result of the actions of his father, is not proud of his quite obvious Kzinti heritage and, despite his medical and service record classification of his species, considers himself Caitian in all important respects. Both pure blooded Caitians and Kzinti have been known to dispute this.

Thyvan has an excellent pallet for food and has somewhat of a distain for replicated meals. That being said he is not so fussy as to starve but can often be seen adding various seasonings of his own creation to food to try and solicit a little more taste.